Hello all

I have been involved in a few forums over the years, and one item that came up quite often when dealing with older cars was "What do you do/who can you call if you suffer a breakdown on a long trip?"

Maybe I missed it with my search here, but the idea was to have a 'registry' of folks in various regions who could assist with vehicle issues when traveling outside their home area. The intent is not to replace AAA or local equivalent, but to be willing to answer the phone and provide advise on local towing/mechanic/accommodation options; sort of a 'Yelp' specifically for Jag owners on vacation. Maybe even provide a spare part if rare or back-ordered.

Another sticky was often a list of a spares kit, so you weren't stuck waiting for delivery. ie the basic roadside tool kits I HAVE seen listed here, plus the parts that could halt your trip but are not terminal. I drove all over western Canada in a 1980 Porsche 928, and carried spares like alternator, water pump, fuel pump (fuel pump was a 10 minute job roadside due to location), belts, hoses, etc. Yes, some of this is not a roadside repair, but if you have the parts a mechanic could have you back on the road in hours, instead of days.

cheers
Ken

 

Ken,

Privacy and data protection are two factors which make this admirable idea difficult and increasingly risky to implement.

You will have seen on forum registration you were required to give a contact eMail, date of birth and an approximate location (Country and State). Neither full address or phone number was required. The only part of this data subsequently available to other members is Location. The reason for this being vehicle specifications vary across World markets and accurate advice requires this detail.

There will be a proportion of members willing to post their contact details on a public forum but I am not one of them. My eMail address, home address and phone numbers appear nowhere in any of my posts. Over the years I've received many requests from members to remove personal details from a post after they have thought of the possible consequences of including these on a public forum or have already received the unwelcome attention of data harvesters.

Members can make direct contact with each other either through the forum PM (Private Message) system. Although this cannot be considered as secure, it is adequate for exchange of an eMail address or phone number. This could be a method of contacting other members along a proposed route. A post in the appropriate Region forum with route and dates requesting contact from members by PM would begin a dialogue which is separate from the forum.

Graham

 

Hello Graham

I understand and appreciate your concerns.

I work in IT and should know better.......

cheers
Ken

 

Another possibility is an 'SOS' section where members can post a thread 'Help I'm broken down in (location)' and local members can offer help. Exists on other forums.